BIM THE FUTURE OF BUILDING DESIGN

BIM is the future of building design and building lifecycle management.  The advantages of modeling your building are enormous.  During the design phase of a project, most potential conflicts between trades are identified and eliminated.  Since all the major building components are modeled in a 3-Dimensional environment, clash detection software quickly alerts the design team of conflicts.  Fixing problems such as HVAC equipment located at the exact same spot where electrical panels are to be mounted while the project is still being designed is much more economical than finding out about a problem after one of the trades has installed their work in the field.  The power of BIM is very useful in the construction phase as well.  Since the building exists as a 3-Dimensional model, any drawing, section, elevation, or detail sketch can quickly be created by simply selecting a viewing vantage point within the model.  If a field electrician needs to see a cross-section to verify placement of conduits in relation to HVAC ductwork, a phone call and a few mouse clicks can generate the needed view.  Building owners can benefit from BIM during the design by having access to 3-Dimensional views and renderings of their proposed building, making changes while concepts are developing rather than after money has been spent on construction.

Parsons Electric, Inc. utilizes the latest revision of Autodesk® REVIT for building modeling.  Our BIM models are created in-house by our engineering staff with the constructability and economic impact of the project in mind.  This direct control of the model maximizes efficiency for design and construction.
Beyond initial construction, BIM will play a major role for building operators.  Developing technologies are beginning to emerge that will take advantage of the immense amount of data that can be incorporated in a BIM model.  The information contained within the model can include equipment specifications and maintenance schedules that the building operator can use to perform preventative maintenance, analyze to determine problem areas or patterns, log repair and maintenance activities, and generate reports.  Since the data contained in the BIM model is completely customizable, the possibilities are endless.